What’s the Danger of a Cracked Heat Exchanger?

25 Jan What’s the Danger of a Cracked Heat Exchanger?

A cracked heat exchanger can be a common furnace problem that may surprise you during a routine furnace inspection. If an HVAC professional has informed you that your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, you’ll want to take action. Yet because this problem needs a full replacement of your furnace, you may be tempted to ignore it. After all, the furnace is still working fine, right? Yet a cracked heat exchanger can put your family at extreme risk. Before you let the problem go, you need to understand this risk and how it could potentially impact your family.

What is a Heat Exchanger?

The heat exchanger is the part of the furnace that exchanges heat between the return air from your home and hot exhaust coming from the combustion chamber of the furnace. This is what heats air before it returns to your home, keeping your family warm and toasty. Between these two air masses is a sheet of metal or metal tubing that lets the exchange of heat occur but not the exchange of gasses. Thus, the carbon monoxide and other gases stay out of the air in your home.

What Cracks Allow

A cracked heat exchanger sets a dangerous stage for carbon monoxide to leave the furnace and enter your home’s air. Even the smallest of cracks might be large enough to allow gas to escape. While the CO levels don’t have to be high enough to trigger your CO alarm, they can be high enough to cause headaches and other illness, without explanation.

No homeowner would knowingly want to allow CO into their home day in and day out, yet this is exactly what’s happening when you continue to run a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger. To ensure that your furnace is running safely and efficiently in your Frederick home, contact Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning for a full inspection.